77.7%
BMW Z4
BMW Z4 MOT pass rate and common problems
The BMW Z4 passed 77.7% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 5.4 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was condition has ply or cords exposed.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Z4 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
79.3%
BMW average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Z4 runs 1.6 points behind the BMW average. It is 25th of the 28 BMW models in the data. The average Z4 arrived at its test 14.4 years old with 69,394 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Z4 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
BMW Z4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.5% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 74.2%, a drop of 16.3 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 4,145 | 90.5% | 18.2 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 4,794 | 83.2% | 10.9 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 25,505 | 74.2% | 1.9 pts above |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Z4 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on BMW Z4 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension together account for 36.5% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Z4 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on BMW Z4 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 38.5% of everything testers recorded against failed BMW Z4 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Z4
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has ply or cords exposed, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 13.1% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn. 7.3% of failure items.
3
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 4.3% of failure items.
4
Brakes
Recorded most often: rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. 4% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Z4 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used BMW Z4 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
BMW Z4 MOT FAQs
What is the BMW Z4 MOT pass rate?
77.7% of BMW Z4 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 35,179 tests. That is 5.4 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 228th of 575 models.
What does a BMW Z4 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on BMW Z4 cars failing their 2025 MOT was condition has ply or cords exposed, on 5.4% of failure items. Next were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.3%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.2%).
Which area causes the most BMW Z4 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 18.6%, followed by suspension at 17.9%.
Do older BMW Z4 cars fail their MOT more often?
BMW Z4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.5% of MOT tests in 2025, against 74.2% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every BMW Z4 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every BMW Z4 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific BMW Z4's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.